Railroad-crossing.



PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

uvenl'o'n Jo/wvlilijaesz L E. REESE. RAILROAD CROSSING. APPLICATIONFILED SEPT 12 1906 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. REESE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-SIXTH TO CHARLES M. BALLARD, ONE- HALF TO WILTON F.BLACKFORD, ONE-FIFTH TO WILLIAM NEAL, AND TWO-FIFTEENTHS TO GEORGE L:MARTIN, ALL OF LOUISVILLE, KEN- TUCKY.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed September 12, 1906. Serial No. 334,314.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN E. REESE, a citi zen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county of J efferson and State ofKentucky, have invented a certain new and useful Railroad-Crossing, ofwhich'the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to railroad-crossings and the primary object isto provide means whereby the main and crossing rails are renderedpractically continuous and unbroken when in use.

More specifically stated, the object of the invention is to provide inconnection with the main fixed track-rails intervening movable sectionsso constructed and combined with operating connections that each of thesections is adapted to be moved into and out of line with the fixedrails, so that when a railsection is in its operative position it formsa continuation of the fixed rails and when moved out of place ampleclearance is afforded between the ends of the movable section and thefixed track-rails to accommodate the wheel-flanges, thus doing away withall pounding caused by depressions, gaps, or other inequalities in therails.

Furthermore, an object of the invention is to provide effective meansfor clamping or bracing and holding the movable rail-sections when intheir operative positions.

With the above and other objects in View, the nature of which will morefully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinfully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of arailroad-crossing, illustrating the present invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged vertical cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asimilar section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar sectionon the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a portion ofthe clamp. Fig. 6 is an inner edge view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 designate the main-track rails, and 2 2the crossingrails, or vice versa, as the case may be, the said railsbeing fixed or stationary. In connection with each of the main andcrossing track rails a movable rail-section is employed, four of suchmovable rail-sections being used, as shown at 3, 4, 5, and 6. Thesesections are so constructed and combined with operating connections thatthey may be moved into and out of line with the fixed rails 1 and 2, andthey are of such length that their ends abut against the ends of thecontiguous fixed rails, thereby forming practically continuous andunbroken rails at the crossing, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1.

Each of the rail-sections 3, 4, and 5 and 6 is the counterpart of theothers, and in order to provide for properly positioning and displacingsaid rail-sections each section is divided into se arable members 3 and3", the inner ends 0 which meet with a butt-joint, the said joint beingpreferably cut on a bevel, as shown at 7, to facilitate relativemovement between the members. The member 3 is capable of an endwisemovement and also 'a lateral and swinging movement to clear it from themember 3, and the latter member 3 is capable of an endwise movement, sothat after the member 3 has been moved away from the end of itsrespective track-rail and swung laterally the other member 3 may bemoved endwise away from its fixed track-rail, the adjacent ends of themembers 3 and 3 being thus overlapped, as shown in Fig. 1. This leavessufiicient clearance between the ends of the movable rail-sections andthe ends of the fixed trackrails for the crossing-rails, or rather themovable sections thereof, the ends of which when in place occupy thesame spaces previously occupied by the corresponding ends of the movablesections of the main-track rails. At this point it maybe noted thateither the rails 1 or the rails 2 may constitute the main line.

The crossing as a whole is supported on a suitable base or foundationconstructed, preferably, of I-beams 8, arranged beneath and in line withthe track-rails and the movable sections thereof. To provide for thesliding and swinging movement of the section member 3, the latter ismounted on a clamp 9 in the form of a lever pivoted at one end, as at10, on the foundation. To this end the member 3 is provided with aslotted flange or extension 11, through which passes a pin 12, carriedby the clamp 9, as shown in Fig. 1. This allows the member 3 to slideupon and lengthwise of the clamp 9. Adjacent to one end the member 3 haspivotally connected thereto one end of a lever 13, fulcrumed at anintermediate -point 14 and connected pivot ally at its opposite or outerend to a rod 15, which connects with an arm 16, projecting laterallyoutward from the complemental member 3". In this way as the member 3 ismoved .endwise and swung laterally it acts through the connections 14,15, and 16 to move the member 3 endwise.

The clamp 9 is actuated by a pair of togglelinks 17, one of which isconnected with the clamp and the other pivoted at a fixed point 18.Where the links 1? connect, there is attached a rod 18, which extends toa bellcrank lever 20, and it will be seen in the drawings, Fig.1, thatthe bell-crank levers of the opposite movable sections are connected forsimultaneous operation by a rod 21.

Connected pivotally to one arm 16 is a rod 22, which extends to abell-crank lever 23. From said lever another rod 24 extends to anotherbell-crank lever 25, and from the last-named lover a rod 26 extends tothe oppositely-located arm 16. It will thus be seen that the members ofthe movable rail-sections at opposite sides of the crossing areconnected up for simultaneous movement. Rods 27, 23, 29, and 30 connectthe several sets of bell-crank levers with suitable operating-levers(not shown) at a distance to enable the switchman to position themovable rail-sections of either track in readiness for use.

A guard-rail 31 extends along the inner side of each of the movablerail-sections and is bolted to the bed or foundation, as shown in Fig.2. IVhere the clam 9 fits against the member 3", it is notched or cutaway, as shown at 32, leaving only pointed portions 33 to fit over andbear against the baseflange of the adjacent member of the railsection,thus providing clearance for trash and dirt that might otherwiseaccumulate at such point and interfere with the proper operation of themechanism.

'lhe extremity of the clamp is preferably beveled or chamfered oil', asshown at 34, so that when it is moved inward it will bind against thecorrespondiugly-inclined under face 35 of a keeper-block 36, securedfast to the foundation, as indicated in Fig. 4. This serves to hold theclamp firmly with a wedging action. The several connecting rods referredto are ordinarily connected to the members which they move by means ofbrackets or clips 37, such as is shown in Fig. 3, as by this arrangementthe said rods are placed low enough to pass under the trackrails, wherethey are out of the way. IVhen the opposite movable rail-sections are inproper place for use, the remaining movable they line up with.Practically continuous and unbroken rails are thus obtained, doing awaywith the disagreeable pounding of the wheels and the injury to theroad-bed incident thereto. WVhen the members of the movablerail-sections are in pro er place, they are braced at the inside by t 1eguardrails 31 and at the outside by the levers 13 and the toggle-links17, the pivot-points of which are in the same straight line at suchtime, while the keeper 36 holds the clamp 9 with a wedging action andavoids all tendency of the toggle-links moving out of line.

I claim- 1. In a railroad-crossing, the combination with fixed main andcrossin rails, of intervening movable sections of a length adapting themto abut end to end-against the fixed main and crossing rails, and meansfor shifting the sections of one track out of position and the sectionsof the other track into osition and vice versa so that the ends 0 onepair of sections will occupy the same space previously occupied by theends of the other an. p 2. In a railroad-crossing, the combination withfixed main and crossing rails, of intervening sections comprisingrelatively movable members of a combined length adapting the sections toabut end to end against the fixed main and crossing rails, and means forshifting the section members of one track out of position and thesection members of the other track into position and vice versa so thatthe ends of one pair of sections will occupy the same space previouslyoccupied by the ends of the other pair. 7

3. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members into and out of line with thetrack-rails.

4. In a railroad -crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-railsand causing one member to overlap the other.

5. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable sec tion divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-railsoperating to move one member endwise and the adjoining member laterally.

6. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable seetion divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-railsincluding a clamp with which one of said members has 'a slidingengagement.

7. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members intoand out of line with the track-railsincluding a pivoted clamp to which one of the members is connected and adevice for swinging said clamp.

8. In a railroad crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-railsincluding a pivoted clamp and lever connections for swinging and bracingsaid clamp.

9. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-railsincluding a pivoted clamp, connections for swinging and bracing saidclamp, and a keeper for engaging said clamp.

10. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying amovable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, andmeans for shifting one member lengthwise and the other both lengthwiseand laterally away from the track-rails.

11. In a railroad-crossing, the combination with fixed intersectingtrack-rails, of intervening rail-sections each divided to com priseend-to-end separable members one of which is adapted to be moved endwiseand the other both endwise and laterally, means connecting said membersfor causing such relative movement, and means for shifting one memberand thereby eflecting the movement of the member connected therewith.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. REESE.

Witnesses:

REXFORD M. SMITH, JAMES F. CROWN.

